RECOVERING FROM AN INSANE-O WEEK.

I’ve been getting up early this weekend to try to catch up on work after we had a… significant… water main leak that needed to be repaired. (See photo above.) Simply put, we would be without water until it was fixed. After counting my blessings – no water damage INSIDE the house, a fully-functioning home filled with loving grandparents to stay at until our water was turned back on, the means to make these necessary repairs, an incredibly flexible job, and more – I lamented the fact that the business momentum I was feeling the week prior felt like it was dwindling.

I was able to work enough to make small bits of progress on a number of fronts, but when you’re a one-woman operation, little wrenches like a skid steer loader digging up your yard while water gushes like a geyser from the street definitely change the focus of the week.

We’re back to normal here at the Senn house and everyone is only as crazy as they were before the leak, so I thought it might be fun to reflect on some things I learned about getting through a slightly “off” week as a stay-at-home-mom-entrepreneur. My priorities will always be my family and home – work comes next, it’s my true passion, but knowing my priorities helped me through this crazy week. (I don’t often post “advice” on the blog, but maybe someone will relate to having a nutty, out-of-the-norm, week.)

1. Try to keep the kids in their normal routine as much as possible. // Bedtimes, school routines, etc. all contribute to rested, happy kids. Anything out of the ordinary seems to throw my youngest off in a MAJOR way and he revolts as only a two-year-old can revolt. We packed up lovies, pillows, favorite books and as many comforts of home that could fit in a kid-sized suitcase. It wasn’t perfect, but we did our best to make life away from home “normal.”

2. Try to keep YOURSELF in a normal routine too. // If you exercise every day, do that. If you wake up early and drink coffee before the house wakes up, do that. If I learned only one thing this week it’s that my body needs to move and I will go completely crazy if it doesn’t. Full stop.

2. Do what you can, and nothing more. // I know that seems trite… and seriously, who doesn’t do “what they can?” For me, this meant being present with each of my juggling balls as they were in the air. When I was working with the plumber to understand the issues and timelines for repair, I didn’t rush to get back inside to write an email. I took the time to really listen and ask questions about the situation and in turn felt comfortable making decisions and communicating with neighbors and others about what was going on. I also gave my full self to the boys during this time. To be honest, the work took the biggest hit during the week. Which leads me to point 3.

3. Give yourself a break. // Letting work take a backseat to family life and managing my home was JUST FINE. I maintained my business by focusing only on what was right in front of me and the most urgent items on my to-do list. Frankly, my brain wasn’t up for big strategic or creative thinking anyway, so it worked out. I won’t beat myself up for having a week that didn’t drive my business forward as much as I would have liked. I let myself have time to get back to normal after everything was back up and running in the house.

4. Dive back in full force and renew that momentum.// I’m doing my best to pick up where I left off and regain the momentum I was feeling before we sprung a leak. (Literally and figuratively, I suppose.) Onward.

I know that many of you reading may have far greater problems than a leaky water main, and I don’t mean to dramatize a relatively harmless issue. In the early morning hours, I found it interesting to reflect on how difficult it can be to operate outside of a normal routine, especially with kids. It’s also a bit of a self pep talk to start this week off right. Make it great, friends!